Grilled halum cheese

Cyprus is famous not only for its remarkable ancient history, historical monuments and unique culture. No less interesting for culinary professionals around the world and the cuisine of Cyprus. It has no less ancient history and a lot of tasty dishes and products. Among them, cheese halumi, patented and recognized national pride and one of the symbols of the country. By the way, the authenticity of the product was recorded quite recently, in 1999. Nevertheless, it does not make the recipe of preparation less ancient, come to us from the depths of millennia.

Cyprus cheese halumi

It is cooked on the island almost everywhere. And on an industrial scale, and in small villages for home consumption. And in every village, probably, there will be a master - a connoisseur of ancient recipes and traditions. We can say that the cuisine of Cyprus (or rather, many of its dishes) is based on one of the cornerstones - the famous cheese.

Ancient group of cheeses

The product of national pride belongs to a brine group, one of the oldest in the world. Prepare cheese halumi from goat and sheep's milk (adding small doses of cow's milk). Each artisan specialty for cheese making uses a certain ratio of milk types and the amount of salt, as a result of which it can vary slightly in taste in different regions of the country. But this does not affect its highest quality. It is useful and tasty, has a snowy shade, with impregnations of mint leaves. It has a layered dense structure. It is stored in brine (salted whey, in which it was cooked). Cheese halumi does not dry out and does not become hard, but at the same time it is not absorbed by brine and will not be excessively soft. The main feature is the addition of mint leaves, crushed and dried. Has a characteristic pleasant aroma and creamy flavor with sharp notes and brackish.

How they eat?

There are several ways to prepare dishes from this fermented milk product in Cyprus. Well, firstly, it is with pleasure you can eat raw, cut into pieces. Secondly, it's salads with vegetables. They traditionally add cheese halumi. And most importantly, it can be baked on the grill, processed thermally. This is the way the cheese is served in Cypriot taverns, and local people use it at their meals. Will we try and cook?

Grilled cheese

Halumi, as it were, is designed by nature for such a recipe, as it is very juicy, weakly dries up and is fried, grasping with a ruddy crust, and not melting all. In this case, the cheese remains juicy inside. In general, it resembles a well-prepared shish-kebab (only from cheese), when the meat inside is juicy, but not raw, but from above is grasped by the rudeness of the crust.

Recipe

Cheese halumi is refractory, so it is ideal for working with a grill. Although what work is a pleasure! And the taste is specific, as the classic of humor said. To fry halumi is probably one of the most optimal ways to prepare a delicious juicy snack or light supper. And on a picnic with the participation of this sour-milk product, you can have a great time.

We will need: a pound of Cypriot miracle (if the company is large, then you can even kilogram), fresh lavash or baguette, vegetables. That's all the ingredients for a hearty snack.

1. First, as follows, we warm up the grill using coals. The heat should be excellent, and the coals do not burn, so as not to burn the dish. But it is prepared quickly, so that the temperature is appropriate.
2. Cheese from Cyprus cut into convenient pieces (considerable and fairly thick - up to 1 cm in thickness). You can draw an analogy with cutlets in terms of size. And we need the thickness, so that inside the fried halumi remained juicy.
3. Spread the pieces on the grill for grilling and fry on both sides for several minutes with each. As soon as there are characteristic "blush" - turn over so that the product is not burned. Ideally, the whole process is very, very fast: one, two - and a delicious dish is ready!

Well, and for a good and juicy cheese you can serve fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, greens or all combine in a salad. Or on the same grill bake more and vegetables on the grill - everything will work. As a supplement - a fresh baguette or lavash. A bottle of wine and a friendly conversation will serve as a good and appropriate bonus for a meal in nature or at home. Enjoy your every appetite!